Tourism growth expected to continue

Tourism in China is expected to continue its rapid development in the first half of the year despite the cooling of the economy, according to a report released by the China Tourism Academy on Thursday.

The number of domestic trips by Chinese people in the first half of the year is expected to reach 2 billion, an increase of 9 percent year-on-year, the report said.

Revenue generated by Chinese tourists in the first half of the year is expected to reach 1.6 trillion yuan ($260 billion), an increase of 13 percent over the first half of 2013, according to the report. In contrast, China's GDP is predicted to grow about 7 percent this year.